Safety ski binding

ABSTRACT

A ski binding comprises a toe soleholder and a heel soleholder for the sole of the boot. One of the soleholders is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski to a release position in response to an excessive torque. At least one sole-supporting member is provided, which is disposed near the torque-responsive soleholder and mounted to be movable relative to the surface of the ski. The sole-supporting member consists of a flexible hollow body and is filled with a gas or liquid and its lower wall is held to the surface of the ski. The walls of the hollow body are freely movable at least to such an extent that they can follow a movement of the sole of the boot relative to the ski until the boot is released by the respective soleholder.

United States Patent Marker et al.

[ 1 Sept. 5, 197.2

[54] SAFETY SKI BINDING 22 Filed: March 31, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 24,142

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 3, 1969 Germany ..P 19 17 425.5

[52] US. Cl. ..280/ll.35 C [51] Int. Cl ..A63c 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..280/l1.35

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,448,990 6/1969 Cubberley et al...280/l1.35 C 3,540,749 11/1970 Marker ..280/11.35 C

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 84,811 l/l955 Norway ..280/l 1.13 W

Primary Examiner-Benjamin Hersh Assistant Examiner-Milton L. Smith Attorney-Fleit, Gipple & Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT A ski binding comprises a toe soleholder and a heel soleholder for the' sole of the boot. One of the soleholders is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski to a release position in response to an excessive torque. At least one sole-supporting member is provided, which is disposed near the torque-responsive soleholder and mounted to be movable relative to the surface of the ski. The solesupporting member consists of a flexible hollow body and is filled with a gas or liquid and its lower wall is held to the surface of the ski. The walls of the hollow body are freely movable at least to such an extent that they can follow a movement of the sole of the boot relative to the ski until the boot is released by the respective soleholder.

10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures Pahnbd Sept. 5, 1.72

3 Shuts-Sheet 3 1 F F m ELL 4 4 FAIJ.

Pllbnhd Sept. 5, If" 5 3 Shuts-Sheet 5 SAFETY SKI BINDING The present invention relates to safety ski bindings which comprise a toe soleholder and a heel soleholder for the sole of the boot, one of which soleholders is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of 5 the ski to a release position in response to an excessive torque, and at least one sole-supporting member, which is disposed near the torque-responsive soleholder and mounted to be movable relative to the surface of the ski.

In known safety ski bindings of this type, the solesupporting member consists of a plate which has a main plane that is parallel to the surface of the ski and which is held by at least one elastic restraining means to be freely movable in said main plane at least to such an extent that it can follow a movement of the sole of the boot relative to the ski until the respective soleholder has released the boot. In one embodiment, the resilient restraining means of the sole-supporting plate extends from said plate toward the tip of the ski as well as toward the butt end thereof and is secured to the soleholders of the binding. In another embodiment, the sole-supporting plate is provided on its side facing the surface of the ski with a groove, which serves to receive part of an elastic restraining means consisting of an endless band of rubber or plastics material and which is open at both ends on that edge of the sole-supporting plate which is remote from the torque-responsive soleholder, and a retaining plate is provided, which is adapted to be connected by screws to the ski and which is provided with a groove which is in register with the groove in the sole-supporting plate and serves also to receive part of the band of rubber or plastics material, that edge of the retaining plate which is provided with the open ends of the groove being arranged to face that edge of the sole-supporting plate which is provided with the open ends of the groove therein, and the solesupporting plate being thicker than the retaining plate.

It has been found in practice that these known safety ski bindings have various disadvantages which reduce their utility. These disadvantages essentially reside in that the sole-supporting plates and their restraining means are expensive and liable to be deranged.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety ski binding which comprises a sole-supporting member and in which the disadvantages of the known embodiments are avoided.

In a safety ski binding which comprises a toe soleholder and a heel soleholder for the sole of the boot, one of which soleholders is movable transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski to a release position in response to an excessive torque, and at least one sole-supporting member, which is disposed near the torque-responsive soleholder and mounted to be movable relative to the surface of the ski, this object is accomplished according to the invention in that the solesupporting member consists of a flexible hollow body and is filled with a gas or liquid and at its lower wall is held to the surface of the ski, and the walls of the hollow body are freely movable at least to such an extent that they can follow a movement of the sole of the boot relative to the ski until the boot is released by the respective soleholder.

In a development of the invention, the sole-supporting member may have at least approximately the shape of a flat hollow parallelepiped. Alternatively, the solesupporting member may form a hollow sphere or a hollow ellipsoid.

Alternatively, the sole-supporting member may consist of a hollow cylinder, which is closed at its ends and extends in the longitudinal direction of the ski, or a ho]- low ring. In these cases, each binding preferably comprises two sole-supporting members, which extend on both sides of the longitudinal center line of the ski.

In order to avoid a large deformation of the sole-supporting member as the skiing boot is introduced into the binding, the sole-supporting member may be inherently squeezed flat.

The sole-supporting member consists suitably of rubber or a suitable plastics material and may be held to the ski by an adhesive joint. A rigid bar or plate may be embedded in the sole-supporting member when the same is vulcanized or cured so that the latter can be fixed to the ski by screws or nails outside the hollow portion of said member.

In a special development of the invention, the solesupporting member may be secured to a baseplat e, which is secured to the soleholders of the binding by preferably elastic restraining means so that the ski is left unaffected between the soleholders. This design affords the further advantage that the sole-supporting member can be sold as an individual part and may be mounted on the ski by everybody to supplement an existing binding without need for special manual dexterity and for tools.

From the aspect of manufacturing technology and to enable a simple and reliable assembly, it has proved particularly simple to provide a sole-supporting member which consists of a-hollow body in two parts, one of which consists of a flexible shell and the other of a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body. For this purpose, the shell is preferably provided at its inner edge with at least one annular bead and the retaining element may be formed with an annular groove for each annular head.

The gastight joint between the two parts of the hollow body may be-formed as a result of a clamping action or by vulcanizing or curing.

When it is not desired or not sufficiently reliable to connect the sole-supporting member to the ski by an adhesive joint, the sole-supporting member may be screw-connected to the ski by means of an interposed baseplate. The retaining element is suitably connected to the baseplate in that the two parts are interlocked when the baseplate has been mounted on the ski and the interlock is such that it cannot be eliminated without a destruction of at least one of the parts. In a development of this feature of the invention, a single means may be provided for the interlock and clamping.

Embodiments of the invention will now be describedv by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a portion of a ski adjacent to the sole-supporting member,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line II- II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view which is similar to FIG. 2

but with the sole-supporting member rolled to the side,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view like that of FIG. 1 and shows two sole-supporting members provided in a second embodiment,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line V-V in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 5 with the skiing boot introduced into the binding,

FIG. 7 is a view which is similar to FIG. 4 and shows sole-supporting members according to another embodiment,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line VIIIVIII of FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view like that of FIG. 8 and shows the binding with the skiing boot introduced therein,

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view showing another embodiment of the sole-supporting member according to the invention, which member is mounted on a ski,

FIG. 11 is a reduced horizontal sectional view taken on line XI-XI in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view showing a solesupporting member which differs somewhat from that of FIG. 10.

In each case, the safety ski binding according to the invention comprises in known manner a toe soleholder and a heel soleholder for the sole of the boot, and a sole-supporting member.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the sole-supporting member 1 is disposed near a so-called safety toe iron, which in response to an excessive torque acting transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski performs a lateral pivotal movement to release the toe of the skiing boot. The safety toe iron 2 is indicated with dash-dot lines. In this embodiment, the sole-supporting member 1 consists of a flexible hollow body which has been squeezed flat and is filled with at least one liquid, which does not freeze at temperatures of and above 60 C. In the area which is defined by the dotted circle 3, the lower wall is adhered to the ski 4. That lowerwall has a free edge portion which enables a rolling of the sole-supporting member from its normal position, shown in FIG. 2, to the position shown in FIG. 3, in response to a sufficiently large torque acting on the skiing boot 5, which is indicated in dash-dot lines in FIGS. 2 and 3. When this force has a magnitude which is harmless for the skiers leg, a restoring torque exerted by the toe iron and/or the heel holder will return the skiing boot to its normal position. The rolling of the sole-supporting member ensures that there are virtually no frictional forces opposing the movement of the skiing boot. The toe iron releases the toe portion of the skiing boot before the sole-supporting member has reached the limit of its movement. Due to its elasticity, the sole-supporting member then automatically returns to its initial position.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a sole-supporting member in a second embodiment. Two such members are required for each binding and are disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the ski. These sole-supporting members 6 consist of hollow cylinder halves, which are closed at their ends and mounted on the ski 4 to extend in the longitudinal direction thereof. The lower wall is extended at both ends to form to straps 7 and has a rigid bar 8 embedded therein, which has been bonded to the material of the sole-supporting member as the same was vulcanized or cured. This bar enables a fixation of this sole-supporting member to the ski by means of two screws 9. When a skiing boot 5 is inserted into the binding, the sole-supporting members 6 are squeezed flat, as is shown in FIG. 6. A torque acting transversely to the longitudinal direction I of the ski causes the sole-supporting members to roll in the manner which has been described in the first embodiment.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a sole-supporting member in a third embodiment. Just as in the example described last hereinbefore, two such members are required for each binding. Each sole-supporting member consists of a hollow ring 10, which has a wall intended to contact the ski and comprising an inner lip, which forms a flange for a screwed connection. Only one screw 9 is required for the fixation of each sole-supporting member 10. FIG. 9 shows the sole-supporting members with the skiing boot introduced into the binding. The sole-supporting members are squeezed flat in this state. A torque acting transversely to the longitudinal direction of the ski again causes the sole-supporting members to roll as in the embodiments described hereinbefore.

The sole-supporting members inherently have the shape shown in FIGS. 6 and 9.

Instead of a screwed joint, an adhesive joint may be used to secure the sole-supporting members 6 and 10 to the ski 4, just as the sole-supporting member 1.

The sole-supporting member shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 has a hollow body, which consists of two parts 11, 12. Part 11 is a flexible shell whereas part 12 is a substantially rigid retaining element, which is provided on the outside with a circular series of individual hooks 13, which serve to hold the hollow body on a baseplate 14. The baseplate is secured to a ski 16 by two screws 15 and has a central aperture formed at its top edge with a lip 17, which is engaged by thehooks 13 from below.

The flexible shell 11 has at its inner edge an annular bead 18, which engages an annular groove of the retaining element 12. The hooks 13 hold the annular bead clamped between the baseplate and the retaining element so that the cavity which is left between the flexible shell and the rigid retaining element and filled with a gas or liquid is gas-tightly sealed. As is apparent from FIG. 10, the surface of the rigid retaining element. 12 may be corrugated from the annular grooveto the outermost edge to provide an additional labyrinth seal.

To assemble this sole-supporting member, the baseplate 14 is screw-connected to the ski 16. The circular series of hooks are then inserted into the recess of the baseplate. The individual hooks are resiliently forced inwardly until their ends spring back to engage the lip of the baseplate from below. The hollow body is now firmly connected to the base-plate and the two parts of the hollow body are sealed. In this embodiment, the fluid may be introduced into the hollow body before and after the same has been fixed to the base-plate. In the latter case, the fluid is injected and the injection orifice may be sealed if required.

The sole-supporting member shown in FIG. 12 is basically similar to the sole-supporting member according to FIGS. 10 and 11. In this embodiment, the flexible shell 20 is not drawn around the rigid retaining element 21 to such a large extent but the shell is provided at its edge with two annular beads 22, 23, which are bonded by vulcanization or curing to ensure a gastight joint between the two parts 20, 21 of the hollow body. Like reference characters are used for like parts. A comparison of FIGS. and 12 reveals that the sole-supporting member may be somewhat lower in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12.

What is claimed is:

1. A sole plate element for safety ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for the shoe sole, one of which upon occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski is movable into a release position, so that the sole plate element, which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder, is movably held with respectto the ski surface, said sole plate element comprising a flexible hollow body filled with fluid and connected to the ski surface by its lower wall, said hollow body comprising two parts, one part being a rigid retaining plate and the other part being a flexible jacket having at least one annular bead on its inner wall and connected to said rigid retaining plate, said rigid retaining plate comprising at least the central portion of the lower hollow body wall and having fastening means adapted to connect it to said ski, said hollow body walls being freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow arelative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding sole retaining element and said retaining plate having an annular groove for each said annular bead.

2. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parts of said hollow body are clamped together in a gas-tight manner.

3. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein a single device is provided for the clamping.

4. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parts of said hollow body are vulcanized together in a gas-tight manner.

5. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid is a liquid having a freezing point below 60 C.

6. A sole plate element for safety ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for the shoe sole, one of which upon occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski is movable into a release position, so that the sole plate element, which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder, is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole plate element comprising a flexible hollow body filled with fluid and connected to the ski surface by its lower wall, said hollow body comprising two parts, one part being a rigid retaining plate and the other part being a flexible jacket connected to said rigid retaining plate, said rigid retaining plate comprising at least the central portion of the lower hollow body wall and having fastening means adapted to connect it to said ski, said hollow body walls being freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding sole retaining element and an interposed baseplate connecting said retaining plate to said ski, said baseplate and said hollowbody being interlocked.

7. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 6, wherein a single device is provided for the interlocking.

8. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindingscomprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining el ments being movable into a release position upon e occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a twopart fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell,the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls'are freely movable'at least to the extent that they can follow a'relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining element, and a baseplate connected to said connecting means and secured to said ski.

9. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining elements being movable into a-release position upon the occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is under torsional stress is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a two-part fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell, the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means comprising at least one hook secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls are freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining element.

10. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining elements being movable into a release position upon the occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a two-- part fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell, the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls are freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining element and wherein said flexible shell defines at least one annular bead at its inner edge and said retaining element has an annular groove for each said annular bead. 

1. A sole plate element for safety ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for the shoe sole, one of which upon occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski is movable into a release position, so that the sole plate element, which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder, is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole plate element comprising a flexible hollow body filled with fluid and connected to the ski surface by its lower wall, said hollow body comprising two parts, one part being a rigid retaining plate and the other part being a flexible jacket having at least one annular bead on its inner wall and connected to said rigid retaining plate, said rigid retaining plate comprising at least the central portion of the lower hollow body wall and having fastening means adapted to connect it to said ski, said hollow body walls being freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding sole retaining element and said retaining plate having an annuLar groove for each said annular bead.
 2. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parts of said hollow body are clamped together in a gas-tight manner.
 3. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein a single device is provided for the clamping.
 4. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two parts of said hollow body are vulcanized together in a gas-tight manner.
 5. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fluid is a liquid having a freezing point below -60* C.
 6. A sole plate element for safety ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for the shoe sole, one of which upon occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski is movable into a release position, so that the sole plate element, which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder, is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole plate element comprising a flexible hollow body filled with fluid and connected to the ski surface by its lower wall, said hollow body comprising two parts, one part being a rigid retaining plate and the other part being a flexible jacket connected to said rigid retaining plate, said rigid retaining plate comprising at least the central portion of the lower hollow body wall and having fastening means adapted to connect it to said ski, said hollow body walls being freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding sole retaining element and an interposed baseplate connecting said retaining plate to said ski, said baseplate and said hollow body being interlocked.
 7. A sole plate element as claimed in claim 6, wherein a single device is provided for the interlocking.
 8. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining elements being movable into a release position upon the occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a two-part fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell, the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls are freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining element, and a baseplate connected to said connecting means and secured to said ski.
 9. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining elements being movable into a release position upon the occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is under torsional stress is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a two-part fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell, the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means comprising at least one hook secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls are freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe sole with reference to the ski up to the release of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining eLement.
 10. A sole supporting member for safety ski bindings secured to a ski, said ski bindings comprising toe and heel retaining elements for a shoe sole with one of the retaining elements being movable into a release position upon the occurrence of excessive torsion transverse to the length of the ski so that the sole supporting member which is disposed near a torque-responsive sole-holder is movably held with respect to the ski surface, said sole supporting member comprising a two-part fluid filled hollow body, one of said body parts comprising a flexible shell, the other part comprising a rigid retaining element which forms at least the central portion of the lower wall of the hollow body and connecting means secured to said rigid retaining element, said connecting means adapted to connect said sole supporting member to the ski so that the hollow body walls are freely movable at least to the extent that they can follow a relative movement of the shoe by the corresponding shoe retaining element and wherein said flexible shell defines at least one annular bead at its inner edge and said retaining element has an annular groove for each said annular bead. 